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Room 101


taxi4ballet

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Alison I discovered very recently that on those long 12 carriage trains where there are first class carriages at front and back that the back carriage is permanently declassified. 
It was for the very reason you mention above that after many complaints from customers they decided to allow ordinary Jo public to use the back first class carriages. A message comes up on the electronic screen every so often to say people with standard tickets can use the carriage. Only the front carriage is now designated First Class. 
It’s probably still not enough especially considering so many new trains but hopefully things will improve. 
I only found out as about a month ago the train was very crowded for some reason ( not rush hour) and I dived into first class which only had about three people in it and was then  looking out for ticket inspector ( was hoping train might clear a bit by Gatwick) A young man on adjacent table noticed my nervousness and so I told him I wasn’t supposed to be in First Class and he told me the story. He was one of the people who had complained as regularly had to travel between Brighton and Cambridge! 
So now I always sit in the back carriage!! 

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You can add long-distance SouthWestern Rail to Room101. They used to offer very cheap deals for their very slow trains up to Waterloo from the West Country. For a £10 or £15 day return I would put up with no power points, WifI or the ability to reserve a specific seat. And NO quiet Zone (but the appalling people who run CrossCountry got rid of the Quiet Coach so it's not just SWR). 

 

But nowadays, when they should be luring us back, prices are high, very rare to no special deals, and still no power, booked seats or decent Quiet zone.

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...and hardly anywhere to put your luggage! Recently I have experienced- a man turfing out my case to put his in the one small luggage area, a case forced into a tiny overhead rack then falling and narrowly missing someone's head,  aisles dangerously blocked with cases (and some people have the most enormous luggage nowadays) and loos impossible to get to for the luggage piled up outside them.

I find it especially hard to understand why the 'Gatwick express' uses rolling stock with no luggage space and why the Stansted train ( they don't have the face to call it the express)  in the most populous area of the country often has only 2 carriages.....

 

 

 

 

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The Gatwick express does have luggage space - or at least the one I travelled on yesterday did.

 

I'm going to add to my complaint about Thameslink the fact that they seem to keep cancelling them ☹️

And thanks, Lin, for the tip about the rear coach - although it's a bit full owing to the cancellations.

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I’ve been lucky as only had one cancellation so far since the end of April but then I’m only using once a week. It’s nearly always the Cambridge rather than the Bedford train which gets cancelled my end. 
I don’t mind so much when travelling up (as long as doesn’t make me late)  there’s a Thameslink train every 15 mins though. I hate it on the way home as often travelling back in busier trains so then if one gets cancelled the next is always really full. 
 

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  • 4 weeks later...
6 hours ago, taxi4ballet said:

Apologies to everyone else already in Room 101, but I'm afraid you are now going to have to put up with my neighbours. 

 

Sorry about that. 😂

I know you don’t live near me @taxi4ballet but ours drive me to distraction and the property is an ex pub. How can a young family be more irritating than a pub? My list is endless 😏

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On 29/06/2022 at 18:19, AnneMarriott said:

Dare we ask why?

Erm... let's just say that people we've lived amicably next door to for decades suddenly decided to take official action against us, despite us agreeing to do what they wanted, and the fact that we drew their attention to it in the first place.

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9 hours ago, taxi4ballet said:

Erm... let's just say that people we've lived amicably next door to for decades suddenly decided to take official action against us, despite us agreeing to do what they wanted, and the fact that we drew their attention to it in the first place.

Crumbs - there's no accounting for folks!

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Don't worry, most people aren't as blinkered, unreasonable and stupid as my neighbours. 🤣

 

By the way, would it be un-neighbourly of me to liberally spread horse manure fertiliser on my flower bed at this time of year? Bearing in mind that their patio table and chairs is just the other side of the fence.

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  • 3 weeks later...

5 star reviews on online shopping websites.  I recently purchased a "genuine" filter for my Dyson vacuum cleaner.  It turned out to be fake and didn't fit so I asked to return it.  First I got an offer of a very small refund but could keep the filter.  I refused.  Then I was offered a full refund, including postage, if I posted a 5-star review - oh, and I could keep the item.  I refused - despite the inconvenience of going to the post office and paying return postage.

 

So not only are "genuine" articles fake, but the 5 star reviews others have left are decidedly suspect too.

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3 hours ago, AnneMarriott said:

5 star reviews on online shopping websites.  I recently purchased a "genuine" filter for my Dyson vacuum cleaner.  It turned out to be fake and didn't fit so I asked to return it.  First I got an offer of a very small refund but could keep the filter.  I refused.  Then I was offered a full refund, including postage, if I posted a 5-star review - oh, and I could keep the item.  I refused - despite the inconvenience of going to the post office and paying return postage.

 

So not only are "genuine" articles fake, but the 5 star reviews others have left are decidedly suspect too.

 

I had a similar thing happen to me when buying earbuds for my iPod, after I'd left a one-star review. They wrote to say they'd replace free of charge if I'd change my review. I said no. They sent the new ones anyway, and they were as bad! (so to me, it wasn't just a duff pair first time round). Offers of a refund and a third pair fell on deaf ears

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15 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

I had a similar thing happen to me when buying earbuds for my iPod, after I'd left a one-star review. They wrote to say they'd replace free of charge if I'd change my review. I said no. They sent the new ones anyway, and they were as bad! (so to me, it wasn't just a duff pair first time round). Offers of a refund and a third pair fell on deaf ears

 

Some years ago I needed a hotel in Bradford so I booked one I had previously stayed in many times.  The website said it was under new management and had been furnished.

 

I was asked to pay on arrival.  My room was, indeed, fully refurbished and lovely.  However the bathroom, while clean, hadn't been and there was a serious problem with the shower that meant I had to change room.  The following morning the shower in my new room only had cold water (it was late October so not an option) so I was asked to use the bathroom in the next door room.  The following day I went home without showering!

 

On checking out I asked if I could have a small refund as a gesture of good will for the inconvenience and the "manager" got quite nasty with me.  I told him I would put my review on Trip Advisor.  Usually I only put positive reviews on Trip Advisor.  If I've not been happy (very rare) I just don't bother commenting on such a public platform.  I put a poor review on for this hotel.  Within 2 days of me putting a 2* review on half a dozen 5* reviews had appeared which had obviously been made up as they commented on the fabulous breakfast but there were no breakfast facilities and I had taken my own muesli!!

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This has, I am sure, been mentioned here somewhere before, but....I am getting sick to death of people walking down the street staring at their phones, earplugs wedged in their ears, not being aware of anything going on around them, and then just assuming that everyone else will clear their path for them.  This happened to me three times in an hour yesterday, and each time I waved my hand in front of their faces to bring them back to life.  Each time they looked shocked, as if they didn't know they are supposed to watch where they're going.  Aside from anything else, they pose potential danger to themselves.  I have lost count of how many times I have had to brake hard to avoid people just walking into the road because they have music in their ears and are looking at their phones.  No spatial awareness at all, so we are supposed to take responsibility for them.  😡

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20 minutes ago, Sim said:

This has, I am sure, been mentioned here somewhere before, but....I am getting sick to death of people walking down the street staring at their phones, earplugs wedged in their ears, not being aware of anything going on around them, and then just assuming that everyone else will clear their path for them.  This happened to me three times in an hour yesterday, and each time I waved my hand in front of their faces to bring them back to life.  Each time they looked shocked, as if they didn't know they are supposed to watch where they're going.  Aside from anything else, they pose potential danger to themselves.  I have lost count of how many times I have had to brake hard to avoid people just walking into the road because they have music in their ears and are looking at their phones.  No spatial awareness at all, so we are supposed to take responsibility for them.  😡

 

I couldn't agree more Sim.  Cyclists are even worse for this!

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2 hours ago, Sim said:

This has, I am sure, been mentioned here somewhere before, but....I am getting sick to death of people walking down the street staring at their phones, earplugs wedged in their ears, not being aware of anything going on around them, and then just assuming that everyone else will clear their path for them.  This happened to me three times in an hour yesterday, and each time I waved my hand in front of their faces to bring them back to life.  Each time they looked shocked, as if they didn't know they are supposed to watch where they're going.  Aside from anything else, they pose potential danger to themselves.  I have lost count of how many times I have had to brake hard to avoid people just walking into the road because they have music in their ears and are looking at their phones.  No spatial awareness at all, so we are supposed to take responsibility for them.  😡

 

The worst offenders have to be the pedestrians walking in the middle of the road down Villiers Street towards Embankment tube station. I frequently drive down Villiers Street and putting aside the people walking in front of me who haven't a clue about traffic behind them, the ones coming towards me don't seem to notice that they are walking straight into the path of a car either, and the few that do, can't be bothered to step aside, even more remarkable when many have children in tow.

 

Having said that, I know someone who deliberately avoids catching the eye of anyone walking towards him with the sole purpose of ensuring that they will move aside so that he doesn't have to.

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3 hours ago, Sim said:

Aside from anything else, they pose potential danger to themselves.  I have lost count of how many times I have had to brake hard to avoid people just walking into the road because they have music in their ears and are looking at their phones.  No spatial awareness at all, so we are supposed to take responsibility for them.  😡

 

Sadly, I can think of at least one tragedy involving a London bus for this very reason :( 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 21/07/2022 at 05:54, AnneMarriott said:

5 star reviews on online shopping websites.  I recently purchased a "genuine" filter for my Dyson vacuum cleaner.  It turned out to be fake and didn't fit so I asked to return it.  First I got an offer of a very small refund but could keep the filter.  I refused.  Then I was offered a full refund, including postage, if I posted a 5-star review - oh, and I could keep the item.  I refused - despite the inconvenience of going to the post office and paying return postage.

 

So not only are "genuine" articles fake, but the 5 star reviews others have left are decidedly suspect too.

Update:  I returned the filter using the Royal Mail tracking label supplied.  Now, a week later I discover that the seller has "opened a case which is on hold until August 14th".  Not only that but "the tracking information supplied shows that it's on its way and should be with you soon".  Words fail me ...

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 04/08/2022 at 06:50, AnneMarriott said:

Update:  I returned the filter using the Royal Mail tracking label supplied.  Now, a week later I discover that the seller has "opened a case which is on hold until August 14th".  Not only that but "the tracking information supplied shows that it's on its way and should be with you soon".  Words fail me ...

Further update:  To my surprise I have been given a full refund, including return postage.   My one-star review has not appeared on the website, though. 

 

 

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Duvets that refuse to go into the duvet cover!!

 

My method, as for pillowcases, is to have the cover inside out, match the 2 corners, shake the cover down the duvet a bit while holding the corners and then smooth it the rest of the way.  It usually takes less than a minute.  Half an hour later this morning, the duvet and the cover were seconds away from being thrown in the bin!!!

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Adding hornets to Room 101 - every summer we have a few that make it into house but over last few weeks it’s been at least one per evening/night. Was hoping after the weather broke yesterday we’d get a night off but wasn’t to be. 

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6 hours ago, Jane said:

Adding hornets to Room 101 - every summer we have a few that make it into house but over last few weeks it’s been at least one per evening/night. Was hoping after the weather broke yesterday we’d get a night off but wasn’t to be. 

We had a literal hornets' nest in a bird box a couple of years ago.  It was rather intimidating at first but they were very considerate and other than the occasional close inspection of sunbathing humans or dogs kept themselves to themselves.  I wish wasps would copy.

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38 minutes ago, AnneMarriott said:

We had a literal hornets' nest in a bird box a couple of years ago.  It was rather intimidating at first but they were very considerate and other than the occasional close inspection of sunbathing humans or dogs kept themselves to themselves.  I wish wasps would copy.

Now you’ve got me thinking I need to look for a nest close to or in house. I’ve naively liked to think they always nest in the woods but maybe this year they’ve moved a bit closer as attracted to house lights in evening. 
I can’t relax and sleep knowing there is one or more hornet indoors plus have a cat and puppy that might encounter them. 
 

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2 hours ago, Jane said:

Now you’ve got me thinking I need to look for a nest close to or in house. I’ve naively liked to think they always nest in the woods but maybe this year they’ve moved a bit closer as attracted to house lights in evening. 
I can’t relax and sleep knowing there is one or more hornet indoors plus have a cat and puppy that might encounter them. 
 

I believe they are supposed to be unaggressive and certainly found them so.  At the time we had a cat and two dogs who came to no harm at all.  Good luck with yours.

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